Good morning, and may the Lord bless and keep you today.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few books from Crossway themed around summer.
(Yesterday on the blog: Post the Strongest Soldiers at the Weakest Gate)
Those Baskets Won’t Last
“After two long years of waiting, she finally took to the stage once more. The pandemic had brought her last dance recital to a sad halt. Costumes hung in her closet, dances were choreographed and ready, but she and her fellow dancers spent last spring huddled in their homes, waiting for an invisible foe to pass by. And maybe it was the missing out, the learning to appreciate things that we once took for granted, that made this year’s performance feel so special. Everyone was so happy just to be there, parents and grandparents leaned forward with anticipation, bunches of flowers in their laps, dancers of all ages and stages twittering excitedly in the wings. Dance recital was finally here again. Regular life was here again…”
A Part of Me Died When I Became a Pastor
My friend James Seward reflects on how a part of him died when he became a pastor. “Like many men who become pastors, I am a man of strong conviction (I think I’m actually worse off in this regard than most pastors). I have strongly held convictions about things as little as kitchen knives and toilet paper. But now this young man who had previously served on a political campaign couldn’t tell others his preferred candidate or political affiliation! Now this young man who had a hot take on every news story had to start talking less about the news and even more about the Good News!”
The Missing Conversation in Our Accountability
According to Ryan Griffith, “the main reason accountability fails is because of its separation from robust spiritual care.”
Radical or Reasonable?
Alex Kocman compares and contrasts a couple of words: radical and reasonable.
A Mother’s Day Pastoral Prayer
I was quite touched by this pastoral prayer for Mother’s Day from Joe Shoko (who pastors Berean Reformed Baptist Church in Harare, Zimbabwe).
The Fear of Death and God’s Grip
Jim Elliff: “The Coronavirus itself may have turned out to be more frightful in the projection than the reality of it — unless you or someone you love died from it. Like all things that bring us fear, there is truth behind that fear. The truth that choked us is that all of us will die (unless escaping at the coming of Christ). It is only a matter of time.”
He Knew
“Why did he do it? Why did the Messiah, who had the power to raise the dead, allow this trade to happen?”
Flashback: I Love Parenting Teenagers!
These aren’t the worst years, but the best. I wouldn’t say they are the easiest years, but they’re undoubtedly the most joyful. I absolutely love parenting teenagers, and here are a few of the reasons why.
The Lord is the first, and we are his reflection. He is sound and we are echo. He is king and we are servants. We are image, not original—which means we can only understand what it is to be “human” after we have looked at God.
—Matt Fuller
